Narcissa Goes to Gringotts
by eostby
Summary: A response to snarryfan19's Gringotts challenge. Narcissa inherits something she never expected. Rated T for safety.


**Note: Such an entertaining way to debut as a fanfic writer. This is in response to the challenge of snarryfan19 from the HPFC forum, and all I ask is that you stop in and say Hi if you like this. As with probably all Potterverse fanfics, I own neither characters nor concepts, save for those I create. This is a non-canon portrayal of Narcissa, because the canon version is just not enough fun. With all of that standard boilerplate out of the way, on with the show!**

When Narcissa Black received the owl from Gringotts, she figured the Ministry must have finally gotten around to releasing Lucius' will. After his untimely passing a few short weeks ago, Narcissa had looked forward to seeing what was left of the Malfoy fortune. Somehow, Lucius had managed to keep the contents of his last testament secret from his own wife. Therefore, Narcissa didn't feel the least bit sad that the fool managed to get Stunned and fall off a bridge into the Thames. That she was the one to perform said Stunning bothered no one, as they all knew Lucius' reputation. Since Voldemort's downfall, the former Mrs. Malfoy had shown a public persona of truly regretting the brief time she had been aligned with the snake. Instead of the trial that absolutely no one was clamoring for, Narcissa was awarded a token sum from the Ministry for taking out a known former Death Eater.

The letter from Gringotts read as follows:

_Narcissa Black,_

_Gringotts requests your presence at noon to hear the last will and testament of Lucius Malfoy. Failure to arrive will result in confiscation by the Goblin nation of any possessions bequeathed to you. This letter has been charmed to bring you to Gringotts at the appointed time._

Narcissa smirked as she read the letter. The goblins were notorious for their banking practices, and their handling of wizarding wills was no exception. She wondered how many others had been invited. She knew Draco would get an invitation, and he would probably bring his girlfriend Astoria. Narcissa was glad her boy had dumped the Parkinson girl once their marriage contract was broken; she couldn't fathom why Lucius had signed it in the first place. Then again, her former husband wasn't known for his bright decisions.

The next day, Narcissa arrived at Gringotts, and was immediately directed into a room for the reading. As she expected, Draco and Astoria were shown in shortly afterward. An official-looking goblin then entered, bearing an impressive scroll of parchment. Despite its size, the reading passed very quickly, as most of its contents no longer applied to living persons. Clearly, Lucius had put a lot of faith in Lord Voldemort, as most of his "heirs" were deceased Death Eaters. The final result equated to an equal split of the Malfoy fortune, with the majority of property going to Draco, and the majority of the funds going to Narcissa, who also received Malfoy Manor. Draco and Narcissa shared a surprised look. Considering how many other properties the Malfoys owned, the only thing of value about the Manor was its official designation. Draco, as head of the family, could easily revoke and place the title "Malfoy Manor" on any house he chose, but had not yet chosen to exercise this right. Narcissa presumed he would do so once he had married and settled into his own house, and as such held no ill will about the decision.

"That is all we have for you, young Master Malfoy," said the goblin in charge, "but we must ask you to stay, Ms. Black, as there is one more…unusual piece of your husband's will that we must discuss." Mother and son exchanged another glance, and Narcissa stayed seated as Draco and Astoria left the bank. The goblin called for one of his fellow to "retrieve the special package from vault 5629" before checking to see that he and Narcissa were once again alone.

"Ms. Black, how much did you know of your husband before he came to Hogwarts?" questioned the goblin. Narcissa considered this for a few moments. "Very little, I suppose," said Narcissa, "he didn't really like to talk about his past, only about what great future he would bring about. I of course met the rest of the Malfoys before our marriage, but beyond his family I don't really know much of his life." The goblin nodded, but before he could follow up on his question, there came a knock at the door. "Enter!" shouted the goblin. In walked three goblins, carrying what looked to Narcissa like a metal box, though calling it a box would be akin to calling Diagon Alley a mere shopping area. The goblin team set the object down heavily upon the main desk of the room, and exited without a word.

"Do you know what this is, Ms. Black?" asked the goblin. "No, and if this is some kind of final joke at my late husband's expense…." (The goblin coughed loudly, giving Narcissa brief pause before continuing) "then I shall look into transferring my money to a more trustworthy bank. Perhaps the gnomes of Switzerland will be more sympathetic to my needs." "Ms. Black, this is not a laughing matter," interrupted the goblin. "This object is the last part of your inheritance from your late husband, and comes with a letter that we have verified to be written by him. I suggest you read it first." He handed over the letter and leaned back in his chair.

With a hint of a glare at the goblin, Narcissa opened the letter, and read what Lucius had to say.

_My dear Narcissa,_

_If you are reading this, then it seems my demise has come about much sooner than I would have liked. Truth be told, it is my strongest hope that you never read these words, and yet I quill them now to ensure that some future magical Britain has the knowledge contained within. If I know anything of goblin business practices, there is probably a large hunk of metal sitting in front of you. That metal represents one of the greatest advances our society could ever dream of, and yet may never need._

This statement confused Narcissa enough to disrupt her reading. A great advance that may never be needed? She hoped the rest of Lucius' letter was more enlightening.

_An old friend of mine designed this object, and with a little Charm work on my part, we were able to create that which you now see: a device that can use small amounts of magic to power anything it is attached to. He called it a generator. All it takes is the simple tap of a wand, and it will produce enough power to run Malfoy Manor for one full week. The existence of this device will not be the biggest revelation this letter produces, however, as you will likely not be the last owner of our generator. You see, my friend and I made a deal: when either of us died, we would pass along this generator to our loved ones, who in turn would bring them to the living member of our duo. Why we made this deal, I've never been entirely sure, but I believe it to be a means of bringing together two rather disparate families._

_Narcissa, you may think I've gone mad, but let me assure you, what you are about to read is as true as anything I've ever told you. My partner in this adventure is one Arthur Weasley. He and I built this generator during our second year at Hogwarts, and it has been sitting in vault 5629 ever since. The goblins agreed to witness our compact (for a small fee of course, you know how goblins are), and it is being fulfilled this day. You are probably confused by how this could be true, that Arthur Weasley and I were mortal enemies for as long as you've known us, and couldn't possibly have been in the same room long enough to put this together. I advise you to keep your patience, and allow me to explain._

_Before our Hogwarts years, Malfoy Manor was an older mansion near Ottery St. Catchpole, rather than our current home. Thus, I grew up near the home the Weasleys family has inhabited for the last couple generations. It was only natural that Arthur would come visit the only other magical family in the area with a boy close to his own age. We were good friends, not the closest pair you'll ever see, but good enough. Right before we got our Hogwarts letters, our family moved to the current Malfoy Manor, but I promised Arthur I would see him again on the train ride. Though we were sorted into two opposing houses, we maintain our friendship long enough to embark on this ambitious project. It was around this time that our friendship began to fracture, as every inter-house friendship between Gryffindor and Slytherin did in those days. All these years, all these battles later, and I still never got the chance to apologize to him. I hope you will take this letter with you when you meet with the Weasley family, as I expect you soon will, Narcissa, and pass my regrets and regards to them._

_Love always,_

_Lucius Malfoy_

Narcissa looked up from the letter in confusion and sadness, realizing that she had caused the demise of a man who was only the product of his surroundings. However, she knew that leaving Lucius' last promise unfulfilled would bring more shame than even that realization had. She asked the goblin in charge to provide a bag to carry the generator, and 7 sickles later she had a bag charmed to carry it around hanging from her shoulder. She thanked the goblins for their time, and immediately made plans to visit the Weasley family.

**Author's Note the second: I hate to turn out this story in this condition, but I could never wrap my brain around how to finish this. Review if you would like, and I thank you for reading.**


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